UIndy Meets Its New President
Robert Manuel, associate provost and dean of the School of Continuing Studies at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., will join the University of Indianapolis as its ninth president this July.
Grapic by Laura Fellows.
He was introduced to the campus community on April 18 at 10:30 a.m. in Ransburg Auditorium.
Manuel received a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Allegheny College. After that, he had planned to go to law school but said he did not have a real reason for why he wanted to go into law.
“The people I was speaking with at Allegheny [College] had made a career out of working in colleges and universities,” Manuel said. “I realized that I loved my undergrad experience, and I enjoyed interacting with those professionals and maybe I could make a career out of that.”
Manuel went on to earn a master’s degree in higher education administration from Syracuse University and a doctorate in higher education from New York University. He held various positions at NYU before going to work at Georgetown University.
Pitts announced her plans to retire after a seven-year tenure in a campus-wide email. In the email, she recalled her time at UIndy as one of the most rewarding experiences in her life, but said that the time for new leadership had come. The announcement prompted a national search for the new president by a search committee of university trustees and faculty and staff representatives, with the help of executive recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International. Board of Trustees Member Deborah Daniels served as the chair of the search committee.
“The things we were looking for [in a new president] had to do with vision for the future, strategic planning, collaborative work with others at the school, a student focus, naturally and a very strong focus on how to prepare UIndy students for their future in the 21st century,” Daniels said.
Daniels said they had to narrow down a significant number of candidates before conducting interviews. After the interviews, they chose four finalists, one of whom ended up accepting a position at a university closer to where she and her husband lived. The finalists came to campus to speak with the administration, faculty, staff and students.
“We went through that process, and then the search committee simply sat down and talked through what we were looking for in a candidate, and we settled on Dr. Manuel who we think is just going to be a really transformative leader for UIndy,” Daniels said.
Daniels cited a number of reasons why Manuel was chosen for the position.
“We saw that he was extremely student focused and at the same time has a great external vision,” Daniels said
Daniels said that Manuel has established partnerships with major corporations and works well outside the university, which is what she thinks UIndy’s future holds. Manuel had his own reasons about why he was interested in UIndy.
“I’m drawn to mission-based education,” Manuel said. “UIndy has this mission of service, this tradition of connecting education and service, and I could see very quickly by my interviews with students and faculty that that is a fundamental connection that they have.”
Manuel said the sense of community at UIndy was a big draw.
“Just the sheer community and the passion shown by the faculty, staff members and students showed that they really cared about each other, cared about each other’s future and that they will be interested in collectively finding a way to continue to connect to UIndy,” Manuel said.
Manuel said that he and his family are incredibly excited about moving in July.
“When we [he and his family] toured campus I thought, ‘What a tremendous opportunity for my kids to learn the important things in life from an entire community,’” Manuel said. “Professionally, I’m looking forward to being part of that community and personally, I’m excited to have my family grow up inside of those values and those traditions that the university holds.”
Daniels praised Manuel’s knowledge of the future of higher education.
“He recognizes that higher education has changed over the years and institutes of higher learning really need to make sure that they are relevant to the lives of students,” Daniels said.
Manuel sees UIndy as a cultural fit for himself.
“The things that I saw in UIndy resonated with me as being core to my own approach,” Manuel said. “I think I do my best work when we have a community. The students, faculty and staff are all aligned with regards to what the purpose of UIndy is.”
Manuel said that his first step at UIndy will be to listen and understand the community, so that he can become part of it.
“From there, collectively, we’ll find the next steps for UIndy,” Manuel said. “But I want to make sure that I’m respectful and understanding of those traditions first.”
Manuel also has his eye on the future.
“Through Beverley’s leadership, there have been a lot of interesting, new, meaningful, relevant programs created. And I think we should continue that and use them in global conversations about higher education, about how we become relevant and impactful and how we deal with the challenges of our time,” Manuel said. “And I can’t imagine a better place to have those conversations or to lead them from [than UIndy].”
